The FAA announced that owners of small unmanned aircrafts (UAS) need to be registered by Feb. 19, 2016; otherwise, they'll face fines.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced that all owners of small unmanned aircrafts (UAS), including most popular consumer drones, need to be registered by Feb. 19, 2016; otherwise, they'll face fines when flying.

Small unmanned aircrafts weighing more than 0.55 pounds (250 grams) and less than 55 pounds need to be registered, as well as those with on-board cameras.

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"Make no mistake: unmanned aircraft enthusiasts are aviators, and with that title comes a great deal of responsibility," Anthony Foxx, U.S. Transportation secretary, said in a statement. "Registration gives us an opportunity to work with these users to operate their unmanned aircraft safely."

Penalties for flying without a certificate include fines of up to $27,500 and criminal penalties that include fines of up to $250,000 and up to three years in jail, according to the FAA.

The FAA is offering free registration for the first 30 days, which starts on Dec. 21 and ends on Jan. 20. No one can actually register until Dec. 21, but they can already start the process. After the 30 days, however, the FAA will once again begin charging $5.

The Federal Aviation Administration wants all small unmanned aircrafts to be registered before they take flight. (Rick Bowmer/AP)

To register, aircraft owners have to be 13 years old and will have to provide their name, home address and email address. Once the process is completed the website will then generate a printable Certificate of Aircraft and Proof of Ownership that includes a unique ID number.

The ID number will be valid for three years and is not limited to just one aircraft.

"We expect hundreds of thousands of model unmanned aircraft will be purchased this holiday season," Michael Huerta, FAA administrator, said. "Registration gives us the opportunity to educate these new airspace users before they fly so they know the airspace rules and understand they are accountable to the public for flying responsibly."

Small unmanned aircrafts used for business and other activities other than for hobby or recreation can't be registered yet. But the FAA said it's developing enhancements to the site that will provide registration by spring 2016.

Robert Grover, executive vice president at PCS Edventures a company dedicated to STEM education, said this holiday season there's an expected 600,000 to a million drones being gifted as holiday presents.

Since the company is expecting many to take flight the day after Christmas, they developed a website called Droneology.tech that offers courses covering the basics of flying a drones and its regulations.

The first course is free, but the other 30 videos cost $12.99.

"It's a complicated landscape that's growing fast," Grover told the Daily News. "We're excited to see what it could do in terms of education, but it's obviously complicated."

Grover said that rules and regulations on UAS are complicated since there's the federal regulation, but then there are state and city regulations. Aside from the droneonlogy website, PCS Edventures is also helping people learn which cities allow flying and which don't. They're also actively talking to manufactures and resellers to include this training upon selling their products.